While many budget airlines got their start by flying German tourists to popular vacation destinations across Europe, it is becoming increasingly expensive for many to fly into and out of Germany’s many cities.
This month, Dublin-based low-cost carrier Ryanair (RYAOF) announced a major scaleback of its flights to Germany for 2025. It will be completely exiting markets such as Dresden, Leipzig and Dortmund while cutting its capacity from the northern metropolis of Hamburg by as much as 60%.
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The issue ultimately comes down to the taxes and airport fees that airlines have to pay for German airports when compared to fees in other countries.
Ryanair CEO: ‘Visitors are now paying the highest flight prices in Europe’
"As a result of these high state taxes and fees (the highest in Europe) as well as the high-price monopoly of Lufthansa (DLAKF) , German citizens and visitors are now paying the highest flight prices in Europe," Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson said in a statement on the cutbacks.
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As first reported by local outlet Deutsche Welle, the airline estimates that it will fly 1.8 million fewer seats, or a 12% reduction in total capacity, into Germany. Even the capital of Berlin will see a 20% reduction in flights for the summer of 2025.
Wilson continued to rail against Lufthansa and the German authorities, which it said helped the country’s flagship airline with a recovery plan but did not do anything to also help recover international air travel into the country.
While the airport tax will vary depending on the specific city the airline is flying into, it will typically range between €15 and €70 for German cities — a number that Wilson argues is untenably high given that many travelers turn to Ryanair with expectations of tickets that cost less than €50 and in some cases as little as €19.99.
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‘Rising air travel tax, security and airport fees’
"The refusal to promote growth at German airports is shortsighted because Ryanair is prepared to expand considerably in Germany," Wilson said further. "But the rising air travel tax, security and airport fees are leading to these capacities being relocated to other European Union states."
As a result, Ryanair is cutting a total of 22 routes for 2025. While Ryanair indirectly accused Lufthansa of profiting off the situation to get more travelers on the side of both the mainstream airline and low-cost offshoot Eurowings, CEO Carsten Spohr also told local outlets that the increased taxes are deterring many from flying into Germany.
“More and more airlines are avoiding German airports or cancelling important connections,” Spohr told local news outlet Bild Am Sonntag.
At the start of October, Eurowings also announced a series of cuts from Hamburg over what is said was due to "sharply increased location costs." A total of 1,000 flights that were available in 2024 will either be canceled or moved to other German cities for the upcoming year. Certain connections, including the Hamburg-Köln flight that many German travelers took as a connection to other destinations, are the victims of the cut.
"Flying to and from Germany is becoming increasingly expensive and unprofitable on many routes,” the company echoed in a separate statement on the cancelations.
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